Printing device



NOV. 10, 1931. v, 1 MOHLER 1,831,363

PRINTING DEYICE g Filed Dec. 4, 1929 Patented Nov. 10, 1931 UNITEDI STATES v1 Arr.1\ul"ori-*lcs VALENTINE J'. MOHLER, OF RIVER- FOEEST, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ADDRESSOGRAPH COMPANY, OF WILMINGTON, DELAWARE, A CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE y A rmNfrING nevica l This invention relates to printing devices of that class which are adapted to be stored in accordance with a card index system and tobe run through addressing or other machines for printing. These devices commonly comprise' a frame and one or more plates having printing characters embossed thereon, the frame being provided with retaining means for detachably securing the plate in place thereon. The retaining means have comprised overlapping parts struck up wherever convenient from the i'rame, and opposing edges of the plate are engaged with these overlapping parts by full endwise movement of the plate on the frame. It is desirable to have the plate fit as ixedly as possible in the retaining devices on the frame and therefore provision is made for a close iit 'which makes it difficult to insert the plates in the :trames and to remove the plates from the frames by a full endwise movement.` lf the parts are made so that the plate can bel slid freely they will not hold the plate as iXedly on the frame as desired. Sometimes the edges of the plate are scalloped but this increases instead of decreases the diiiiculty because of the number of projections that may catch on the ends of the retaining devices and obstruct the sliding movement of the plate;

It is the object of my invention to enable the plate to be partly mounted on the frame by a transverse movement which enables it to be engaged with the retaining devices on the frame by a relatively slight sliding movement of the plate, thereby facilitating the insertion of a plate in the frame or the removal of a plate from the frame.

It is also the obj ect of my invention to construct and dispose the projections on the plate and the retaining devices on the frame so that the plate may be inserted bya transverse movement on the plate section of the frame in position to be engaged with the retaining devices by a. short sliding movement which engages each projection with only a single retaining device.

' Another object of the invention is to make the frame flexible at its ends so' that it can be easily bent without permanently distorting the frame t0 clear the retainingdevices Von the ltramefrom either end of the plate or plates to enable removal of the the frame. n j

A further object of the invention is to providel a frame with vyielding pressure sections which may overlap two platesand adapted to be operated independent of or in conjunction with bending the end of the frame to clear the stops trom the end of the plate or plates to permit removal thereof.

And a further object of the invention is to provide combined oppositely directed lips stamped up from the frame in the same plane to retain different parts on the frame.

In the accompanying drawings, F ig; l is a front View of a printing device embodying my invention and comprising-two printing plates.. Y.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view on the line 2-2 ofFig.1.v i i plate from Fig. 3 is a detailperspective view showing` the double retaining device.-

Fig. 4 is a detail view showing the back of the frame at the double .retaining device.

Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. l.

Fig. 6 is an elevation showing a portion o the back of the frame. 'y

Referring to the drawings 5 is the frame which is made of sheet metal and provided on its back with spacing flanges 6 at its ends and on its front with retaining devices to receive and hold an information card 7 and the two plates 8 andV 9 having retaining characters embossed thereon. I have shown the invention embodied in a frame with van information card and two printing plates but i two printing plates and with or without an y information card. The `card is removably held in place on the frame by a'bead l0 at the top of the frame and additional retaining devices 1l. The plates are provided with projections 12 spaced apart at the top and bottom edges and the frame is provided with "a retaining lip 13 for each projection', the

lips being spaced apart on the frame in a special arrangementexcept at theV bottom of the frame where it is provided with a continuous bead to receive all the projections 12 at the bottom of the lower plate. This bead might just as well be made of a plurality of spaced lips like the lips 13 for .the bottom edge of the upper plate. Besides functioning as a retainer for the lower edge of the bottom plate the bead 14 also strengthens the frame like the top bead 10 against transverse bending. For this additional strengthening function it is preferred to provide the beads at the top and bottom of the frame instead of disconnected lipsas retaining4 means for the top edge of the card and the ybottom edge of the lower plate as has beenV to be .stamped from a single sheet, but there has never been any relation established betweenthe 'scalloped edges and the retaining -devices except that the retaining devices shall overlap the scalloped edges. The reason forthishas been that the printing-plates have always been slid with a full endwise movement linto position on the frame, except in some comparatively rare instances in which one plate has rbeenarrangedfinanyconvenient movement on the frame to be held in place by another plate. I .have found :that the operation of engaging a plate with the frame and of disengaging a- -plate from the'frame can be more easily and more quickly performed by shapinga-nd spacing'the retaining devices and the projections on the plate with particular relation to each other. Thus the projections on the plate are .spaced apart at the top-and bottom edges instaggered relation, that is to say, the projections on the top-edge and on the bottom edge of the plate are not opposite but are staggered, the projections on one edge being located opposite the recesses 15 on the other edge. vtaining lips for the upper plate 8 are the lsame in Ynumber and they are staggered and arranged in the same relation as the projections on the plate, that is to say, there is a lip on `the frame for each projection on-the plate and the lips are spaced apart so that 'the platein` upright position maybe placedY flatly, or by slight'transverse movement on vthe frame with projections on the-plate u.ar-

rangedin the spaces between the retaining `lips and then, by slight endwise movement,

the plate is brought toits final positioinFig. 1. It will probably be a matter of choice' on The rethe part of the operator whether the plate is positioned with a forward movement or with a transverse down movement in initial position on the frame. Either way of doing it is permitted by the arrangement of the projections and retaining devices but I believe that operators will find it convenient vto carry the plate to the frame in a forward down movement which I refer to as a transverse movement, engaging the loweredge of the plate first with the frame and then flattening the plate against the frame with the projections on the plate arranged in the spaces between the lips on the frame. 1t is preferred that .the plate be arranged on the frame in initial position with the .projection 12V at the lower left corner of the plate 8 in the space between the two lips 13 to engage the lower edge of the plate 8 adjacent theleft end thereof as Y shown in broken lines in Fig. 1, and with the other projections on the plate engaging the recesses between the retaining lips with which they will then register. Then it requires an endwise movement of the plate to the left about equal to the length of a. projection to bring the plate to final position, Fig. 1. The plate may be removed by sliding it to the position shown in broken lines in Fig. 1 whereupon it can be removed by lifting it from the frame. 1t will .be observed that ar-` ranging -the plate on the frame in` initial position shown in broken lines Yis much simpler and more easily Vaccomplished than inserting the end of the plate in the retaining devices at one end of the frame preliminary to the full `endwise slid-ingmovement lof the plate as heretofore practiced, and that the short sliding .movement of the plate on the frame from initial to final position is much Y more easily accomplished, and more quickly,

than the fullendwise movement of the plate, .as heretofore practiced. The lower plate is inserted and lremoved in substantially the same manneras the upper plate except 'that it is necessary that the lower plate should be :given a transverse movement to engage the projections of itslower edge with the bead .at the bottom-of the frame after which the the frame with the Vprojections ,on its upper edge `in `the spaces plate is flattened against between the retaining devices for the upper edge of the plate, as indicated in broken lines in `Fig. 1. The lowerplate isslid 'from initial .to final position andffromfinalto in-v..

itial position like the upper plate and the entire operation of inserting and removing Vitissubstantially.the sameas in the case of the upperplate. The retaining devices '11 atthe endsof the frame are in stops stamped` up from the frame to enga-ge the ends ofthe Vcardv and plate and prevent endwise movement thereof. Asshown inv Fig.

f5 theframeis 'slit at each. of these stops and 4the stop is pressed up on the 'frontgof ythe -'frame,thus making an elongated recess 16 in the form of..

the back of the frame with a slit 17 therein.

` There are three stops arranged in alignment and equally spaced from each other and from the top and bottom edges of the frame. The effect of these stops onl the frame is to make it more flexible yat the flanged portion so that it can be bent sufficiently to clear the stop from the end of the plate to facilitate removal of the plate. The flanged end portion of the frame will also yield sufiiciently, if need be, to permit freedom of engagement of the projections on the plate with the retaining lips on the frame in assembling the plate with the frame. To further facilitate the removal of the plate I provide the frame with yielding pressure sections 18 which overlap the two plate sections of the frame and are adapted to be pressed from the back of the frame to lift one or the other or both plates sufficiently to clear the end stops. The plates may be cleared of the stops to permit removal of the plates from the frame by pressing upon Y the flanged end portion and bending the frame or by pressing the pressure sectionsfrom the back of the frame, but it is more convenient to accomplish this by bending the frame and pressing the pressure section at the same time. The flanged right end of the frame is grasped between the thumb and forefinger of the right hand and while the thumb presses down on the flanged end of the frame the forefinger presses up onthe pressure section to clear the plate or plates from the stop or stops. This is a natural pressure of the thumb and forofinger, that is to say to press down with the thumb it is natural vto press up with the forefinger and vice versa so that no additional effort is required to bend the end of the frame and operate the pressure section conjointly to clear the plate or plates from the stop or stops. I prefer to provide a pressure section adjacent each end of the frame to facilitate insertion and removal of the plates at either end of the frame, and since the pressure sections are preferably made sufficiently large to overlap two plates it will be necessary to provide some of the retaining lips on the pressure sections. A retaining lip 11 for the card is formed on one or more of the retaining lips 13 for the upper plate, Figs. 3 and 4. The lip 11 is shorter than the lip 13 Fig. 3, and it projects upward in the same plane as the lip 13 projects downward. A shelf 19 isv formed on the top of the lip 13, where it connects with the frame, at each end of the lip 11. yThe lower edge of the card 7 rests upon the shelves 19 and the upper edge of the plateV 8 is arranged to engage the under side of the shelves 19. By thus combining the lip 11 with the lip 13 one opening 20 instead of two openings is formed in the back of the plate and this reduces the weakening effect which would be occasioned by two openings spaced apart as shown by the other lips 11 engaging sired. When the upper plate 8 is inserted von the frame inV initial position shown in broken lines, Fig. 1, the projections on'the upper edge of the plate willliein the spaces between the retaining lips which are providedto engage said projections and the projection's on the lower edge ofthe plate willJ lie between the retaining lips on thel frame to engage said projections andwill rest upon the retaining lips for the upper edge of the lower plate so that the platewill thus be initially Vpositioned for the edge projections thereonto slidably enter the retaining lips. The bead 14`at the lower edge of the frame combines the function of supporting the plate in its initialposition andjthe function of retaining *the lower edge of the vplate on the frame in final position.k

My invention provides .a printing plate of novel and simple but strong and substantial construction which greatly facilitates insertion'andremoval of plates, reduces the labor 'or operation in inserting. and removing plates and enables this work to. be done with greater ease and more quickly thanjhas been vthe practice heretofore-` The fra-me can be made from a 'stock frame in accordance with my co-pendingapplication' Serial No. 411,416,

filedDecember 4, 1929,'andchanges'may be made in the form, construction and varrangement of parts to'adapt the invention forA other printing devices, or for other purposes,

within the scope of the following claims.

I'claim:

l. A printing device of the class described comprising a frame, a printing plate having type `characters thereon, and means on the frame for removably retaining the plate thereon, said'plate having spaced projections on its top edge and the retaining means for the top edge of the plate being correspondingly spaced and adapted to overlap said? projections, the retaining means for the lower edge of the plate adapted to overlap said lower edge, the projections on the top edge of the plate vand the retaining means for the top edgeV of the plate being so spaced that when the plate is overlapped for a substantial part of its length over the frame, the lower edge of the plate may be inserted in the retaining means therefor by a transverse movement ofthe plate relative to the framey and the projections on the top ed e of the plate may be positioned against the rame between the retaining means for the top edge of the plate to permit the plate to be moved lengthwise by a slight relative movement in the retaining means to final position on the frame with its top and bottom edges held by the retaining means.

2. A printing device of the class described comprising a frame, a printing plate having type; Characters thereom-and means 0,111,- the time. for emvably retaining the' plate thereon, said plate having projections o'n its top and bottom edges staggered with relaf 5 tion toeach other and spaced apart, and said frameY having retainingA devices staggered With relation tov each other toY engage the projections on the top and bottom edges ofthe plate, those retaining devices which engage 1 0 the projections on the topv edge of: the plate being spaced apart to permit vprojections on Y the. plate to lie therebetween iii initial insertion position of the plate on', the frame and soy that the projections Inay be4 engaged With 1 5 saidk retaining devices by a relatively slight endwise sliding movement of the plate on the frame to final position. Y

3. A printing device of the. class described comprising a` frame, a retaining device struck 2o up from the frame and comprising two lips projecting in opposite directions and conjointly connected with the body of theframe, one of said lips being stamp/ed partly outof said *connection` of the lips with said body. 25 t. A printing device of the classA described comprising a frame, a retaining device struck up from the body of the frame and comprising a connection with the traine, a lip .on said connection extending' in one direction substantially. parallel Withvthe body of the frame, and another lip strucl;v up partly ronithfe bodyl of the frame and partly fromsaid connection and extending from the connection substantially j iarallel` VWith the body of the 35 frame and in a direction opposite'to thev other lip.

VALENTINE J. MQHjLER. 

